Creating Memories: Exciting Outdoor Play Spaces for Children

Planning an exciting, safe and age-appropriate play area for children takes careful planning. Do you care for toddlers who love to climb? 3 year-olds that love to dress up? Pre-schoolers who enjoy catching insects? School-agers who play large group games like touch football and tag? Planning creative outdoor play spaces for children takes months of thoughtful planning and preparation. Some of the most engaging, safe and unforgettable playgrounds have taken several months to a year to plan.

There are many things to consider when planning a new playground, or renovating an existing outdoor space:

• What are the ages of children being served?
  
• What are the developmental needs of those children?
  
• How much outdoor space is available for the project?
  
• Will your design be based on natural elements, play equipment, or both?
  
• How many volunteers are willing to assist with the project? What are their areas of expertise?
  
• How will the group pay for the project?
  
• Will the group hire a professional playground designer or research the topic and design the space themselves?

These are only a few of the questions and topics that will help a group begin a conversation about playground renovations. As your group begins meeting and talking about the project, additional questions will arise.

The steps listed below are guidelines for groups considering building a new playground or for those interested in improving and expanding an outdoor play space already available for children. Safety issues must be addressed throughout the process of building or redesigning your outdoor play space to lessen the chance of serious injuries to children.

• Gather people together who share a desire to renovate the outdoor play area. Ask parents, staff and community members to commit to a period of time to plan, design and develop the project. Ensure that the committee members have a wide range of expertise. It is often beneficial to have members with backgrounds in finance, business, marketing, computer technology, graphic design, horticulture, child care and education.  
  
  • Appoint a Leader to be in charge of overseeing the process. The leader should set meeting dates, times, places, and agendas.
    
  • Appoint a Minute taker to record recommendations, plans and decisions made at all meetings.
    
  • Appoint a Fundraising Chairperson to lead a smaller committee that will develop and implement plans to pay for the project.
    
• Decide on a purpose for the playground, and put it in writing. Be sure to include the goals for the project and who will benefit from the completion of the project. Use the document for:
  
  • Raising awareness of the project throughout the community.
    
  • Appealing to potential funders when requesting donations for the project.
    
  • Educating prospective new committee members about the project.
    
• Gather plenty of information. Learn about children's developmental needs: cognitive, motor, social and emotional. Relate children's needs to the outdoor environment. Research how to incorporate natural elements into the play area. Research various types of outdoor play equipment, both stationary and movable. Research costs involved in the project including delivery of equipment, natural elements and installation. Research the liability insurance for outdoor play spaces. Learn about the many different types of fall surfacing available, and decide which types would be best suited for this project.
  
• Research safety standards and guidelines. Read Wisconsin's Child Care Licensing regulations for outdoor play areas (www.dhfs.state.wi.us), the NAEYC Accreditation Standards (www.naeyc.org), The Environmental Rating Scales (www.fpg.unc.edu/ecers), and the National Program for Playground Safety recommendations (www.uni.edu/playgrounds). Keep in mind that your playground renovations must include plans to make the space accessible to people with disabilities.
  
• Develop a Master Plan. Decide what purchases will be made as donations come in. Carefully assess all current playground equipment. Decide what pieces of equipment will stay, and what pieces will not be needed in the new outdoor play area. If any pieces of equipment will be kept, make sure to make all needed repairs on the equipment as soon as possible. If needed, decide on different phases for the project completion, and develop timelines for each phase.
  
• Write a detailed budget for the entire project. Be sure to get cost estimates for as many parts of the project as possible. Include costs for equipment, natural elements, delivery of equipment, installation and fall surfacing.
  
• Design and implement a fundraising plan. Appeal to donors in the community and make a case based on the positive impact this project will have on children. Appeals can be made to donors for specific phases of the project. Decide what purchases will be made as donations come in. Adjust the fundraising plan as needed to accommodate the projects needs.
  
• Recognize the efforts of all donors and volunteers. Decide on a plan to recognize and honor everyone who offered their time or made a monetary donation to the project. A "thank you" ad in the local newspaper, an open house, a plaque displayed prominently on the playground, or a celebration at the completion of the project are just some of the ways a program can show appreciation for all of the time, effort, and donations made by parents, staff and community members.
  
  

The Americans With Disabilities Act and 
Child Care Center Playgrounds

Many child care providers are unaware of the issues surrounding child care centers and the Americans With Disabilities Act (ADA). The ADA is a federal law which requires child care providers (as well as other types of agencies) to accept children with disabilities into their programs in every case where it will not cause an undue burden to the program or center itself.

When renovating an existing space outdoor play space for children, or building a new play area, it is required that child care providers make their facilities accessible to and usable by persons with disabilities. This rule applies not only to current or prospective children at your facility, it also applies to staff, guardians, parents and others who may be on site or who need access to your playground.

When planning your outdoor play environment, it is helpful to think about addressing the needs of all children. Some of those children will have low motor ability and some will have high motor ability. Child care providers have a responsibility to allow all children to have access to the majority of play structures and areas on the playground.

The ADA rules that apply to playgrounds do vary somewhat between Family and Group child care facilities. Generally, the ADA rules are less stringent for family child care providers. The best way to find out exactly what is expected on a playground is to contact the U.S. Department of Justice or the Architectural Barriers Compliance Board, both listed on this resource sheet. The main points to remember are:

• Currently, the ADA rules apply only to children 2 years old and up. Although there are no rules in place yet for children under 2, the U.S. Department of Justice is researching this, and will likely provide rules for this age group in the near future.
  
• An accessible route from the child care center building to the outdoor play area must be provided. The ground material used for the route must be a material that is considered accessible according to the ADA. Generally, loose fill materials such as pea gravel, wood chips, and sand are not considered accessible. Rubberized materials allow for greater mobility and are acceptable for the ADA.
  
• Ground level routes must be at least 60 inches wide. This allows children using wheelchairs, walkers other forms of aid to maneuver themselves around the play area.
  
• Ground level routes must be free from any protrusions from nearby equipment.
  
• Ground level play experiences such as rocking, swinging, climbing, spinning and sliding must be available to all children. Each of these kinds of activities must be located on an accessible route.
  
• Elevated, or above-ground play components must be accessible to children with disabilities. The number of above-ground play structures that must be accessible varies according to the number of ground level play experiences that are provided.
  
  

Guidelines for Using Natural Elements in 
Your Outdoor Play Space

Natural elements such as long grasses, herbs, shrubbery, and flowers incorporated into your outdoor play space create an exciting, inviting area and provide children a chance to connect with nature. Natural elements allow children the opportunity to explore and discover the natural world. Remember, lushness in the outdoor play space will not happen the first season after planting; lushness takes time!

• Think about your favorite outdoor childhood places and recreate them. Use rocks, shrubs, trees, dirt pathways, and non-toxic plants and flowers.
  
• Use natural elements to create spaces for small groups of children and even alone spaces for children.
  
• Plant long grasses on either side of pathways to allow children a feeling of being enveloped by the grass.
  
• Choose natural elements that add seasonal interest to your playground. Choose trees that turn red, yellow and orange in the Fall, plant bulbs in the fall that will bloom in the Spring, and evergreens so there is color on the playground in Winter.
  
• Plan informal outdoor activities that help children to notice and learn about insects and small animals that will be attracted to your playground. Have magnifying glasses, binoculars, and butterfly nets available to children all the time.
  
• Make or buy a variety of bird feeders and bird houses; actively inviting birds to be a regular part of the play space. Allow children the opportunity to study birds.
  
• Building raised planting beds allows children to learn to care for flowers or vegetables. The planters can be used as borders or dividers between play spaces.
  
• Utilize parent and community volunteers to do a variety of planting on your playground. These same volunteers can assist the program with ongoing playground maintenance.
  
• Plan for a variety of shady areas for children to enjoy in the summer.
  
• Find and buy a good book that provides details about plants and flowers that are conducive to growing in your climate and that are non-toxic to children. Try Plants for Play by Robin C. Moore.

For More Information:

Wisconsin Child Care Improvement Project
2109 S. Stoughton Road
Madison WI 53716
1-800-366-3556
www.wccip.org

US Consumer Product Safety Commission
Washington D.C. 20207
www.cpsc.gov

National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC)
1509 16th St. NW
Washington D.C. 20036
1-800-424-2460
www.naeyc.org

Wisconsin Child Care Information Center (CCIC)
2109 South Stoughton Road
Madison, WI 53716
1-800-362-7353
www.dpi.state.wi.us/ccic

Planet Earth Playscapes
607-273-5069
www.earthplay.net

American Association for Leisure and Recreation (AALR)
1900 Association Drive
Reston, VA 22091
1-800-321-0789
www.aahperd.org/aalr/aalr.html

American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM)
100 Barr Harbor Drive
West Conshohocken, PA 19428-2959
1-610-832-9585
www.astm.org/index.html

Office of Technical and Information Services
Architectural and Transportation Barriers Compliance Board
1331 F Street NW Suite 100
Washington, DC 20004-1111
www.access-board.gov

U.S. Department of Justice
Civil Rights Division
1-800-514-0301
www.usdoj.gov/crt/ada

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